Texas housing assistance programs in 2026 look thinner than they did during the pandemic, but help is still out there if you know where to look. The two large statewide programs — Texas Rent Relief and the Texas Homeowner Assistance Fund — have both closed, and no statewide replacement exists. What remains is a patchwork: utility assistance through the Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program, property tax exemptions and deferrals for qualifying homeowners, Section 8 vouchers with long waiting lists, and emergency aid coordinated through local nonprofits and 2-1-1 Texas.
Which Statewide Programs Have Closed
Before chasing applications that no longer exist, know what is gone. The Texas Rent Relief (TRR) program, administered by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) with federal Emergency Rental Assistance funds, launched in February 2021 and stopped taking applications in the summer of 2023 after distributing over $550 million.1Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Texas Rent Relief Program Provides Over $550 Million in Assistance, Helps Tenants and Landlords Avoid Eviction The companion Texas Eviction Diversion Program, which let courts pause eviction cases while assistance applications were processed, closed with it.2Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Texas Rent Relief and the Texas Eviction Diversion Program
The Texas Homeowner Assistance Fund (TXHAF), which paid up to $65,000 per household for mortgage, property tax, insurance, HOA, and utility arrears tied to pandemic hardship, closed on April 15, 2025.3Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Homeowner Assistance Fund (HAF) Program The federal Low Income Household Water Assistance Program, which once helped with water and wastewater bills, is also no longer funded.4Administration for Children and Families. Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) Water bill help in Texas now depends on whatever local programs your city or county runs.
Utility Bill Help Through CEAP
The Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) is the main active utility relief program in Texas and has been running for years. Funded through the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, CEAP helps low-income households pay energy bills and provides education on controlling costs over the long term.5Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP)
You do not apply through TDHCA directly. CEAP runs through local subrecipient agencies — usually Community Action Agencies — that collectively cover all 254 Texas counties. The TDHCA “Help for Texans” page at tdhca.texas.gov lists providers by county. Income eligibility is tied to federal poverty guidelines, and the specific benefit amount and how often you can receive it are set by each local agency’s program guidance.
Weatherization Assistance Program
If high utility bills are the core problem, the Texas Weatherization Assistance Program takes a different approach. Instead of paying a bill, it pays to make your home more efficient so the bills come down. The program provides a free energy audit and then installs improvements like insulation, weather-stripping, caulking, and repair or replacement of inefficient heating and cooling systems.6Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Weatherization Assistance Program You apply through the same kind of local subrecipient agency.
Property Tax Relief for Homeowners
Texas homeowners have permanent property tax breaks that can lower housing costs meaningfully. These did not expire with the pandemic funding.
Homestead Exemption
School districts must provide a $140,000 exemption on a residence homestead, reducing the taxable value of your home for school district property taxes. Any taxing unit can also adopt a local option exemption of up to 20 percent of appraised value, with a minimum of $5,000. Counties that collect farm-to-market or flood control taxes must provide an additional $3,000 exemption.7Texas Comptroller. Property Tax Exemptions You apply through the appraisal district in the county where your property is located, generally before May 1.
Tax Deferral for Seniors, Disabled Homeowners, and Disabled Veterans
If you are 65 or older, disabled, or a disabled veteran, Texas law lets you defer collection of property taxes on your home entirely. While the deferral is in place, no taxing unit can sue you for delinquent taxes or sell your property at a tax foreclosure sale.8State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.06 – Deferred Collection of Taxes on Residence Homestead of Elderly or Disabled Person or Disabled Veteran You file an affidavit with the chief appraiser in your county stating that you meet the age or disability requirement and that the property is your homestead.
Taxes still accrue during the deferral, and interest builds at 5 percent per year. Once you stop owning or living in the home, the deferred taxes, penalties, and interest become due within 180 days. On the 181st day the full amount is delinquent and taxing units can pursue foreclosure.8State of Texas. Texas Tax Code 33.06 – Deferred Collection of Taxes on Residence Homestead of Elderly or Disabled Person or Disabled Veteran If you die while the deferral is active, a surviving spouse who is 55 or older, owns the home, and was living there can continue the deferral. The tool is powerful for people on fixed incomes, but the liability grows and eventually has to be settled.
Appraisal Increase Deferral
Any homeowner whose property’s appraised value jumped more than 5 percent in a year, excluding improvements you made, can defer the portion above 5 percent on terms similar to the senior and disabled deferral. You pay taxes on the first 5 percent before the delinquency date. The application deadline is January 31, filed on a special affidavit form from your county appraisal district.
Section 8 Housing Choice Vouchers
The Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher program is still one of the largest ongoing forms of housing help in Texas. TDHCA administers vouchers in a 34-county service area, but it is only one of many public housing authorities in the state. Each PHA covers a specific geographic area and keeps its own waiting list.9Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Housing Choice Voucher Section 8 Housing
The practical reality: waiting lists are long, often measured in years, and many are closed to new applicants at any given time. Section 8 is worth getting on a list for, but it will not solve an immediate crisis. Call your local public housing authority to find out whether the list is open and the estimated wait where you live.
Emergency Aid If You Are About to Lose Housing
For households facing imminent homelessness, the Emergency Solutions Grants program funds homeless prevention services, emergency shelters, and rapid re-housing. ESG is funded by HUD and administered by TDHCA.10Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs. Emergency Solutions Grants (ESG) Program Related TDHCA programs include the Homeless Housing and Services Program and the Community Services Block Grant. Money flows to local nonprofits and service providers, not directly to individuals, so your entry point is always a local agency, never a state portal.
How to Find Local Help
Because active assistance in Texas runs through local providers, two tools will get you there faster than searching state websites.
2-1-1 Texas
Dialing 2-1-1 connects you to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s referral network. The service can point you to emergency shelters (usually stays up to 30 days), transitional housing, rapid re-housing programs that help with rent and move-in costs, housing search assistance, and other local resources.112-1-1 Texas. Housing Choices – Finding a Place to Live It is free, available any time of day, and covers every county.
Community Action Agencies
Community Action Agencies (CAAs) are the local organizations that actually run CEAP and Weatherization, and they operate their own regional assistance programs on top of that. The National Community Action Partnership has a searchable directory at communityactionpartnership.com where you can find your nearest agency by zip code or county.12Community Action Partnership. Find Your CAA With no statewide application portal for most active programs, your local CAA is the front door.
Know Your Eviction Timeline
Rights information matters as much as money when you are behind on rent. A Texas landlord must give at least three days’ written notice to vacate before filing an eviction suit, whether your agreement is written or oral. Your lease can change that, including shortening it — many Texas leases set notice periods as short as 24 hours for nonpayment.13State of Texas. Texas Property Code 24.005 – Notice Required Read your lease.
If the eviction is based only on unpaid rent and you were not late or delinquent before the current month, the notice must give you the option to pay or vacate. If you have a history of late payments, the landlord can choose between a pay-or-vacate notice and a straight notice to vacate.13State of Texas. Texas Property Code 24.005 – Notice Required None of these notices stop the eviction; they set the minimum clock before a landlord can file in court. Once a case is filed, you have the right to appear, present your case, and appeal an unfavorable judgment. The court mechanism that paused eviction cases while rental assistance was processed ended when TRR and the Eviction Diversion Program closed.